Are you haunted by chapter volunteer burnout & turnover?

ABOUT

Why Are We Doing This?

Kyle BazzyDirector of Growth at Billhighway

Proud Detroiter

BillhighwayTechnology that solves real problems

exclusively for component-based organizationsFounded in 1999

AGENDA

Why Are You Here?

Volunteers can be your greatest asset

or your greatest downfall

You need a way to combat volunteer

turnover

Responsibilities for chapter volunteers

need to be simplified

Do any volunteer horror stories come to mind?

Nightmares

When done right, the chapter experience can be one of the biggest drivers of member retention. ARMA members named their chapter engagement as their top benefit on member-satisfaction

surveys, [Trevor] Mitchell said. “If we’re investing in them, it increases our national retention rate and growth rate.”

http://marinermanagement.com/how-we-help/engage-volunteers

Volunteerism is like a living organism. It grows, declines and changes in response to the stimuli surrounding it. – Mary Merrill

"

Chapter Volunteer Leadership

65%Full-Time HQ Employees

3.3

Mariner Management’s 2016 Chapter Benchmarking Study

THE CHALLENGE

There’s a Lack of StaffLack of staff = Volunteers are a must

THE CHALLENGE

Good Volunteers are Hard to FindWhy are good volunteers hard to find?

Job Market ChangingMillennials

Demographics

Experience > Busywork

Professional Development

2015 Billhighway Millennial Benchmark Study

Bad Volunteers

Mediocrity

Fear Of Unknown

Performance Standards

http://marinermanagement.com/resources/blog/2016-05-18/low-performing-volunteers-are-hurting-you-more-you-know

Inability To Try New Things

Lack of Innovation

Reinvent Processes

Good Ideas Disregarded

Association Innovation Benchmarking Report 

TAKEAWAYS

Key Volunteer Takeaways

01

Volunteers desire:

BUILD A CONNECTIONTo be connected to a project or task that is meaningful and makes a difference

02 PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIYAn opportunity that makes good use of their skills and experience

03 LESS COMMITMENTLess of a time commitment – fits into their life

The ChallengeHow do you prevent volunteer burnout?

Pains Meet face-to-face

VOLUNTEER BURNOUT

Survey Your VolunteersWhere is everyone at?

Get on the same page

VOLUNTEER BURNOUT

Align Strategy

Align chapter to national strategic plan objectives

http://www.wildapricot.com/articles/multichapter-benchmarking-survey-highlights

TEMPLATESNo standard

templates

77% 37% 35%

DATABASEEach chapter has own membership

database

RECRUITChapters solely responsible for

recruitment

VOLUNTEER BURNOUT

Where Should You Spend Your Time?

VOLUNTEER BURNOUT

Leadership/Volunteer Tools Online Document Sharing (free versions available)

Google Docs 4 Shared

Scribd DropBox

Online Calendar (free versions available)Yahoo Groups Google Groups

Groupsites - offers full group services (free & fee based)

Scheduling (one of our favs!)

Doodle - allows you to poll a group on tentative meeting times & avoids back-n-forth emails (free & fee based - paid subscription includes a calendar connect feature)

Additional ResourcesNonprofitReady.org - Free Online Volunteer Management Training (a bit focused on c3 but has some gems)Mindtools - career building videos: Leadership Skills: Become an Exceptional LeaderLeadership Hub - resource for leadership skills: The Leadership Hub | Award-winning Leadership Development

VOLUNTEER BURNOUT

Support System

Consistent communication between volunteers

VOLUNTEER BURNOUT

Automate

Invest in an AMS software

TAKEAWAYS

Chapter Leader/VolunteersChapter leader/volunteers can be one of your greatest assets for:

Member Retention Recruitment Engagement

What do you need to do to set them up for success in those 3 areas?

http://twentyhats.com/1678/

The ChallengeWhat do you do with absent volunteers?

ABSENT VOLUNTEERS

How Do You Measure Up?What other tools & tactics have you tried to make volunteers’ lives easier and have they worked?

ABSENT VOLUNTEERS

Succession PlanningWhere do you start?

ABSENT VOLUNTEERS

ResponsibilitiesJob Description

Due Dates

Communicate Expectations

Next In Command

How to/Cheat Sheets Best Practices E-Learning training videos Online Community: Shared

learning Face-to-face Mentor Program Boot Camp Leadership advisory group

ABSENT VOLUNTEERS

Training70% of marketing

professionals report that video converts better than

any other medium

70%

64% of consumers are more likely to buy a product after

watching a video about it

64%

ADAPT

Volunteer landscape is

changing rapidly

CADENCE

Provide proper tools & regular check-ins

LESSONS LEARNED

PLAN

Have a plan in place

SIMPLIFY

Local component responsibilities =

simplified

Date: Wednesday, October 19th

Time: 2:00-3:30 pm E.S.T

Speaker: Kyle Bazzy, Director of Growth, Billhighway

Presented in collaboration with Association TRENDS – Qualifies for 1.5 CAE credits

Find out how to create a mutually beneficial relationship between chapters and national.

http://www.associationtrends.com/store/Chapters-vs-National

Chapters vs. National: Creating a Stronger, More Collaborative Association

What’s Up Next?Chapter Collaboration – Get their input and be their knight in shining armor

Date: Wednesday, October 26th

Time: 12:00-1:00 pm E.S.T

Guest Speaker: Chip Deale, VP Membership & Chapter Relations, FEI

Moderator: Kyle Bazzy, Director of Growth, Billhighway

Explore why communication is often a big obstacle between chapters and national and how to start a 2-way communication process.

• ASAE/Associations Now• The State of Association Chapters• The Innovation Line That Divides Associations• Achieving

Mutually Beneficial Volunteer Relationships • Volunteers

• Mariner Management• 2016 Chapter Benchmarking report• Tech Tools for Chapters• Rebuilding the Volunteer Spirit: Tales

from 5 Associations • Leading a Distributed Team: Creating a Rhythm• Where to Start in Training Volunteers• Low-performing volunteers are hurting you more than

you know

• Marketing General Inc. • Association Innovation Benchmarking Report

Additional ResourcesPeople Power Unlimited

Active Chapter Video SeriesAssociation Success

Transform CultureBooks:

Transformational Governance: How Boards Achieve Extraordinary ChangeComponent Relations Handbook: A Guide to Successfully Managing and Motivating Chapters, Affiliates, and other Member GroupsMembership Essentials: Recruitment, Retention, Roles, Responsibilities, and Resources, 2nd Edition

WhitepapersThe Association EXEC's Guide to Improving Organizational PerformanceMillennials Are Human, TooWild Apricot Multi-Chapter Benchmarking Survey

Get a Quick AssessmentChat about a chapter project, initiative or challenge that you have on your plate. Even if it’s just to bounce some ideas around or hear what we’ve seen other use.

http://www.billhighway.co/expert-chat/

It’s free!Take one

Additional Resources

Kyle Bazzy586.480.6419 (cell)

Kbazzy@billhighway.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kylebazzy

AMA: Ask Me Anything